The Gold Coast is a vibrant sun-soaked city with long stretches of white-sand beaches, easy-going and fine dining eateries to satisfy any hard-to-please palate, a lush ancient hinterland, and world-famous theme parks to excite the whole family.

The Coast has long been considered, and continues to be, one of Australia’s premier holiday destinations with its evolving blend of city and sea activities, elegant beachfront dining and quirky cafes, along with friendly wildlife and easy-going locals forever tempting travellers to its golden shores.

Located on the southern tip of the city, nestled in the relaxed beachside suburb of Coolangatta, Oaks Calypso Plaza is inviting travellers to book a One Bedroom Apartment from $396* per night or a spacious Two Bedroom Apartment for $550* per night (minimum five-night stay).

Louis T Collection and H&M Capital Pty Ltd have announced the signing of a management agreement pursuant to which Louis T Collection will oversee the operation of the New Esplanade Hotel. The hotel is located in Elizabeth Quay, Perth’s vibrant, newly developed mixed-use zone along the Swan River.

In addition to providing full management services, Louis T Collection, drawing upon extensive building solutions and architectural design expertise, will oversee the renovation of the 80-room property that will reposition the hotel in the market by returning it to its leading place among Perth’s top-tier hotels.

The original Esplanade Hotel, that opened on the site in the early 1900s, was for many years one of the city’s most prominent hotels.

International visitor count to the region increased by 12 per cent in 2016, with nearly a million tourists touching down in Western Australia, according to Tourism Western Australia. 95 per cent of those inbound travellers visited Perth. The number of travellers from neighboring Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, all increased as well as visitors from further afield such as those from China, India, and the USA.

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has announced its “Aon Global Best Employer” accreditation by Aon Hewitt. The acclaimed accolade comes in the company’s first year of participation in the global survey and is complemented by country-level accreditation in 46 out of the 64 countries assessed by the professional services firm, representing 97 per cent of its workforce.

The accreditation is part of the “Aon Best Employers” programme which evaluates an employer’s effectiveness in creating a workplace environment that engages and enables its people to deliver competitive advantage. Assessment is done from survey data collected directly from colleagues based on four indices: Engagement, Leadership, Performance Culture and Employer Brand.

IHG participated in the global survey for the first time this year, contributing more than 126,000 responses from colleagues around the world. The survey results were then benchmarked amongst the industry by Aon Hewitt to determine whether it qualifies for the “Aon Best Employer” accreditation.

QT Hotels & Resorts Launch Travelshoot Staycations

Gone are the days of the blurry holiday selfies thanks to Travelshoot Staycations at QT Hotels and Resorts. Guests now have the chance to travel like a famous blogger and build an Instagram feed full of professionally shot photos.

Guests are invited to stay in a photo-ready QT guestroom for a two night Travelshoot Staycation and enjoy a complimentary breakfast for two adults.

During the stay, Travelshoot’s expert team will take guests on a one-hour photo shoot with a professional photographer which will result in a minimum of 20 high-resolution and very Insta-worthy shots.

Atlantis, The Palm launches AquaTrek by Night in the Ambassador Lagoon

Atlantis, The Palm announces the launch of another thrilling underwater activity this summer with AquaTrek by Night. Offering guests an experience of a lifetime, daring divers will descend into the world-famous Ambassador Lagoon for the unique opportunity to walk with 220 different species and 65,000 marine animals, as darkness approaches.

With sharks being notorious for their preference to nocturnal hunting, The Ambassador Lagoon comes alive once the sun sets, giving AquaTrek by Night guests 30 thrilling minutes exploring The Ambassador Lagoon as it’s never been seen before. Starting from AED650 and offering two walks per evening, trekkers will be amazed by the brilliant colors of the schooling fish and illuminated eyes of the marine predators as they pass by the beams of an underwater torch.

Perfect for anyone from ages 8 to 80 and with no previous dive or swimming experience necessary, AquaTrek by Night will see guests descend a ladder to a 3 metre shallow ledge in The Ambassador Lagoon, whilst wearing a specially designed helmet that supplies a continuous supply of air. As they walk along the bottom, the lagoons 65,000 marine animals are visible as they swim by the helmets “tri-view” lens, designed to give guests a clean, undistorted view through the flat front, left and right panels.

Perfect for non-swimmers and non-divers and with a minimum age limit of 8 years old, AquaTrek by Night will run two walks daily, starting from 19:00pm, with a maximum capacity of 4 guests per walk. As well as a professional underwater photographer on site, a GO-PRO can also be hired for AED 60 for guests who want to capture their own experience and take the raw footage with them.

The Grand Hotel Tremezzo, a true Art Nouveau palace with a decades-long history of welcoming guests in opulence and glamour, is delighted to announce its newest accommodation package, Suite Temptations.

A memorable gastronomical holiday on the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy awaits with the Suite Temptations offer, staying in one of Grand Hotel Tremezzo’s luxury Suites overlooking the water.

Here, a dedicated Lifestyle Manager is on hand to satisfy guests’ every whim, and there is no shortage of the finest gourmet delights to tempt with every meal throughout the day and night.

The hotel’s menus are conceived by star Italian chef ‘Maestro’ Gualtiero Marchesi and change with the seasons to take advantage of local produce and fresh water fish, serving traditional dishes enlivened with a touch of creativity.

Travel the World Chiva-Som Speciality Retreat Offer for August and September

Guests booking a Speciality Retreat for a minimum seven-night stay at Chiva-Som in Thailand for travel until 30 September 2017 will receive an additional complimentary night and an exclusive VIP Fast Track Service at Bangkok International Suvarnabhumi Airport with guests to be met on arrival by a personal porter and hostess and escorted through immigration for collection of luggage and transfer to the resort.

Chiva-Som is situated within seven acres of tropical gardens in the Royal city of Hua Hin on the Gulf of Thailand, 185 km south of Bangkok.

This pioneering Thai health and wellness resort is a popular destination for Australians offering guests a total lifestyle transformation to achieve wellness and longevity with a full range of health and wellness Speciality Retreats, integrating naturopathic and conventional medicines, including A Taste of Chiva-Som, Optimal Performance, Spa Wellbeing, Yoga for Life, Fitness, Natural Renewal, Weight Management, Cell Vitality, Cranial Relief, Emotional Wellbeing, Tension Release and Sustainable Slimming.

The Library, Thailand, Travel Agent incentive August and September 2017

The Library in Thailand is offering 15 per cent travel agent commission on bookings made in August and September for minimum three-night stays until 20 December 2017.

Guests will also receive a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine during these stays at The Library which is set against the stunning backdrop of Koh Samui’s Chaweng Beach.

A member of Design Hotels, The Library presents 26 studios and suites and will unveil 20 fabulous Secret Pool Villas in November 2017.

Celebrate the House of Dior’s 70th anniversary with a collection of couture cocktails at Sofitel

This spring, the country’s leading fashionistas will flock to Melbourne to experience the never-before-seen The House of Dior: Seventy Years of Haute Couture exhibition at the National Gallery Victoria’s (NGV).

In celebration of the 70th anniversary of the House of Dior, Sofitel Melbourne On Collins, NGV’s Official Accommodation Partner, will serve a series of couture cocktails created by master mixologist and Atrium Bar Manager, Marc Dasan.

Sofitel’s Atrium Bar will serve the signature Code of Conduct Cocktails Thursday – Saturday from 1 September until 4 November 2017, coinciding with NGV’s The House of Dior: Seventy Years of Haute Couture exhibition.

Ratings Record Set By Best Western Australasia

The lift in standards across Best Western’s hotel network in Australia and New Zealand has continued with a record 54 per cent of its properties rated four stars or above by consumers on TripAdvisor and awarded a coveted Certificate of Excellence for 2017.

It is the third consecutive year that the Best Western Australasia (BWA) network has improved its TripAdvisor ranking, up an impressive 17 per cent since 2015, when 46 per cent of BWA properties received a Certificate of Excellence.

A major factor in the sustained improvement has been BWA’s new Quality Assurance Program, lifting standards across all member properties, which now offer free high-speed internet, healthy breakfasts and the ability to earn or redeem Best Western Rewards points.

AccorHotels is giving away three million Rewards points to Le Club AccorHotels members!

AccorHotels is giving guests the chance to win their share of three million Le Club AccorHotels Rewards points.

Guests who book and stay at participating hotels, across the Pacific region before 23October 2017, can enter the draw to win one of 15 prizes of 200,000 Rewards points. Each prize is valued at almost $6,000 and there are also monthly prizes, including overnight accommodation packages.

To be in the running, members simply register for the promotion and book to stay at any of AccorHotels participating hotels across Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and the Islands of Tahiti via accorhotels.com/win. Guests who aren’t yet members of Le Club AccorHotels won’t miss out! It’s simple to join when booking at accorhotels.com/win.

North Stradbroke Island adds a touch of glam to the great outdoors with launch of permanent ‘flash camping’

Following the success of last year’s ‘pop up’ Flash Camp on North Stradbroke Island, Straddie Camping has launched a permanent flash camping site on the beachfront near the island’s most popular tourist village, Point Lookout.

The mini-village of 10 flash camping tents is located at Adder Rock on the northern coast, in a shady area, sheltered behind native tea tree and pandanus forests, with a beach directly in front of the camping ground.

The glamping tents offer high-quality bedding, cotton sheets, fresh towels, two bamboo chairs and power, and are fully made up and ready for the arrival of guests, who also have access to the Adder Beach Camping Ground’s communal facilities. Restaurants and shops are within easy access of the camp site.

The launch of the permanent glamping tents is perfectly timed for visitors to take advantage of the whale migration season – with whales passing by North Straddie throughout the season to November – and also the annual Quandamooka Festival, which offers a packed itinerary of events on North Stradbroke Island, including many on weekends, till September.

Immersive Wellbeing Retreats with Balance Wellness by Anantara

Anantara Hotels and Resorts is giving travellers the option of healthy, immersive experiences across its award-winning resorts in Thailand, Maldives, Sri Lanka and the Middle East with the launch of Wellbeing Retreat packages.

Find tranquillity in the Arabian Desert. Draw inspiration from Indian Ocean panoramas. Achieve balance in the emerald jungles of Thailand. Guests who stay for a minimum of two nights can embark on a personal journey of transformation under the guiding principles of Balance Wellness – Anantara’s global wellbeing initiative. Launched as a flexible approach to feeling good on holidays guests split their holiday time between comprehensive wellness activities as well as time to spoil themselves.

Each package is uniquely designed to showcase the resort’s own indigenous experiences and dynamic wellness offerings. Strengthen, tone and cleanse with both gentle and vigorous exercise and healthy cuisine. Heal and rejuvenate with spa journeys that draw on time-tested therapies of the Thai disciplines, fundamental to the ethos of Anantara.